![]() ![]() The logistics of the series – transporting cars, equipment and so on – will mostly be done via ship. There’s more to it than that behind the scenes. ‘We’re already planting one million mangroves in Senegal, for example.’ So, it’s just some electric rally racing? Doesn’t sound that green… It’s tangibly leaving the world in a better place in the locations that it goes to,’ says Bailey. But it’s not just about shining a light – the teams involved also take part in legacy projects to have a positive impact on the footprint they leave ‘Extreme E is the first platform not trying to retrofit environmental credentials into it. ‘Desert’ starts on 3 April in Saudi Arabia, then ‘Ocean’ on 29 May in Senegal, followed by ‘Arctic’ on 28 August in Greenland, with ‘Amazon’ on 23 October in Brazil and ‘Glacier’ in Argentina on 11 December.Įxtreme E wants to host races here to visualise climate change, educating viewers in the process. But once you get to work, it’s not quite as different as maybe you think it is.’ Where are they going?įive locations are plotted for the 2021 calendar, all named after environmental biomes. ‘One of the biggest challenges for us all has been understanding electric motorsport – it works in a very different way,’ says Veloce Racing team manager Ian Davies, ‘but when you get into the physical mapping of the car, we can control the torque split of the car here – even if we have things like active differentials in rallying. ‘The Odyssey 21 is, honestly, the most fun I’ve ever had in a race car – it’s spectacular to drive.’ ![]() With a combustion engine, the amount of access that teams have means changeability is pretty limited. The main thing is setting it up we can change a lot within the car. ‘From the tests I’ve done in Formula E, it’s all about energy management,’ says Jamie Chadwick, ‘whereas Extreme E is all flat-out racing, and the way that power is delivered is very different. ![]() Making 542bhp and capable 0-62mph in 4.5sec, the Odyssey 21 will be given to each team to tart it up in liveries and even change the exterior design. The Odyssey 21: a standardised, all-electric 4×4 built by Spark Racing Technology (which has developed Formula E’s racers) and with nous from Williams Advanced Engineering. Manufacturers are involved, too Cupra and German tuner ABT are in on the action together, and Techeetah, of Formula E fame, is also entering. ‘Something that’s close to my heart – gender equality – is another factor that drew me in,’ says Jamie Chadwick. ‘And it made sense for us to speak to Jamie about driving for the team she’s probably the most prominent female racing driver there is at the moment, and a big advocate for everything we’re about to represent.’Įach team also has one male and one female driver to support gender equality. ![]() ‘The fact that Adrian Newey says he’s interested – you don’t get better motorsport credibility than that,’ says Veloce Racing CEO Daniel Bailey. Then there’s the technical genius behind those teams Adrian Newey, for example, is providing Veloce with technical experience. Hamilton’s old team-mate Nico Rosberg also has a team, as does fellow F1 champ Jenson Button – a team owner and a driver for JBXE. Sir Lewis Hamilton – clearly not content with winning seven Formula 1 championships – has his own team, X44, with rallying legend Sébastien Loeb driving. Jamie Chadwick is driving for eSports-turned-real-racing-team Veloce Racing. It’s a jam-packed line-up of racing heroes and engineering wizards. Keep reading for our guide to Extreme E, with intel from racer Jamie Chadwick and the Veloce Racing team. ![]()
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